Long Wave Archipelago
'''Cultural background: '''Ochimiai, few Imperial enclaves. '''Language: '''Ochimi '''Religious influences: '''Ochimi-style ancestor worship, various missionary groups trying to get converts. '''Population: '''Spread around all the islands of the archipelago, which is far bigger than was originally expected (same with the population). '''Original settlement: '''Imperial settlements in the region include a few plantations and trading posts on the least populated islands, all very recent settlements. The remainders of the islands are settled by the Ochimiai. '''Major exports: '''Sugar cane, coconut, liquor, workforce '''Major imports: '''Modern steel, lumber, grain The Age of Exploration and Annexation Sea exploration is a dangerous operation that led to the ruin of many merchant and warrior families in the past. Giant sea creatures are far common as you leave the proximity of the mainland, storms can occur at any moment and navigation itself is difficult without landmarks. The discovery of the compass by the Onmyou during the war against the Crystal Isle did make things easier as far as navigation goes, along with detailed maps and logbooks from seasoned captain giving hints on how to avoid dangerous weather. With the widespread adoption of canons and Crystal Isle-style boats by the Imperial Navy, creature attacks on ship were reduced as even titanic sharks think twice before getting shot at. The opening of trading posts across the eastern mainland (except in enemy nations like the Faceless Jungle) was a direct result of such development, but about 100 years ago, a Islander explorer decided to venture further away from the mainland as ever before. While most considered his expedition lost after he was not heard of for a year, when his 3 ships landed near the Imperial Capital, their hold filled with exotic goods like sugar cane, coconuts and crabs the size of a large dog, his actions were vindicated. He had come in contact with a few islands in what would be named the Long Wave Archipelago by the bureaucracy, and had established peaceful contact with the locals. Seeing an easy opportunity for glory, members of the bureaucracy and samurai caste claimed the new land as Imperial Lands, the native Ochimiai people being absorbed in the Empire without them even knowing, and a large delegation of Imperial forces were sent over to meet with their new charge. The Ochimiai were, unexpectedly, less than thrilled at the idea, their own elders living in a form of confederacy under a king, Tec’Uk Malanweh, which the previous explorer had never met. Rather than spend time and resources in a lengthy conflict, the Ochimiai decided to send an ambassador back to the imperial capital along with their most recent delegation (along with a lot of trade goods and gifts). Negotiation “between equals” was impossible from the start when faced with the imperial bureaucracy, but clever maneuvering by the Peregrine family and the Tigershark family placed the ambassador on good footing and closed negotiation in a favorable way for both groups: the Empire would be able to settle on the archipelago and claim tariffs and taxes from those trading posts, while the Ochimiai who so desire would be able to come and work in the Empire, becoming de-facto Imperial citizens. This did set a precedent as the Ochimiai would now be considered part of the Celestial Order, but would also be apart from it, as they would never be a member of a specific caste before they would really begin working in the Empire. Economic activities and development of the province The opening of trade between the archipelago and the Empire did lead to an explosion in agriculture on the islands, with sugar cane and coconut farms taking huge expansion. Introduction of modern steel tools, as opposed to the rudimentary iron and bronze tools which were mostly used before, improved the lives of the locals by a huge margin. Onmyou did warn traders on both ends that there was a chance that dangerous diseases could be spread by their contact and magical protection against disease are standard on both sides of the trade route, but still, a few odd illnesses were reported and needed to be controlled over the years. While many of the islands on the archipelago do have small forests, most of them are not large enough to allow the construction of large scale projects, and imports of lumber from the Empire has actually grown tremendously over the years, reaching record highs in the past few years, with the expansion of the Ochimiai royal capital. Reconstruction of cities and villages is one of the main economic activities in the region, mostly to accommodate the explosion in population the new technologies borrowed from the Empire, but this explosion in population did also lead to an increase in commercial fishing and crabbing rather than subsistence gathering. Construction of small boats for local navigation is also a common economic activity, especially in the smaller villages. Local tension and Imperial military presence Tensions between Ochimiai and Imperial citizens are still common, unfortunately, especially when someone insults the Ochimiai ancestor worship or their royalty. Skirmishes on islands or battles between ships are what happens the most often, but political maneuvering between both groups ease out those problems as they come, preventing any form of large scale warfare from occurring. Pirate attacks near the archipelago have been growing over the year, as both Islander pirates and local pirate gangs claims various trading lanes and islands as their personal playgrounds. The sea between the various islands is relatively safe, being a bit too shallow and covered in various coral reef, preventing most large sea predators from roaming around, but a few there are various species of giant sea turtles which float around those straits, some which are more dangerous than others. On the islands, wild life is fairly tame, with no super predators threatening human life, as birds and lizards form the majority of the ecosystem. The islands closer to the Ochimiai capital also have a few breeds of marsupials, mostly exported from the capital island, but none of them are really very dangerous to anyone. The export of animals from the mainland is extremely limited due to a ban on it by the Onmyou council and by recommendation from the local spirits. Native spirits and other supernatural threat in the region vary wildly compared to the mainland, and hunting these new kind of monsters is sometimes more dangerous than expected. The Imperial military in the region is very limited, mostly house guards for the various families residing in the region. The Third Fleet is usually stationed along the trade route between the mainland and the archipelago, hunting down pirates and taking out maritime threats, and the soldiers that are part of the Third Fleet are usually paid a distance and risk premium on top of their regular stipend. A dry dock and shipyard were built on the island closest to the mainland for rapid repairs to be done on ships in the region. As usual with mainly naval warfare, crews are lightly armored and armed with bows with a set of oil-doused arrows. The Ochimiai were thought to be a fairly peaceful people when they were first met by the Empire, but the fact of the matter is that they were almost constantly at war until their king confederated them and crushed all opposition. Ochimiai soldiers prefer the short karyss saber to longer blades like the katana, but their skill at using such a blade is scary at times. Polearms are almost unheard of in the region, except for those imported from the empire, and spears do not seem to have a very good reputation, with only a very small subset of the Ochimiai military using them, preferring generally the shorter spears with a jagged head. While their soldiers are usually very lightly armored, the usage of shields amongst the Ochimiai is pretty common, which might seem odd to the imperial forces in the region. Ochimiai soldiers are trained to be able to fight and on land and on ships, and they prefer quick hit and run or ambushes to long, dragged out fights. Local culture and effects on the Imperial settlers Ochimiai culture has yet to influence the imperial culture in the region in any meaningful way. Local imperial citizens are far more likely to have their own customs, taboos and traditions then to have “gone local”, and in many cases, they stick to themselves rather than go out in the Ochimiai settlements. Some traders are closer to the locals but maintain a strong business façade, and it is to be noted that those traders are never from any of the Chivalrous Organizations, as they were barred from going (legitimately, at least) into the region. Local food is about the only thing that entered the imperial culture of the region. The love of seafood and fish of the Ochimiai people does translate well to the tarigani love of seafood and the Yunjin appreciation of it, but rather then raw or very spicy, Ochimiai usually eat their fish in a paste mixed with fruit, coconut and sugar. Turtle meat is also rather popular, usually being served in the animal’s shell with more fruits. A type of wild rice does grow on many of the island and was not cultivated on a large scale until the arrival of the imperial traders, but as it is harder and of a brown color, it is not quite popular with the imperial citizens, but with introduction of the imperial rice on the general market, some of the locals have seen the advantage of local rice production. Another thing that changed after the arrival of the Imperial traders was the explosion in the production of molasses and its derivative alcohol, rum. Rum was mostly used in rituals and divinations before, but its different taste from regular wine or grain alcohol made it insanely popular with the elite. Coconut milk, seasoned with a bit of cane sugar or mixed with molasse, is also a popular, non-alcoholic drink in the region. Ochimiai customs are alien to most imperial folks, who usually disdain physical contact. Kissing and hugging is common occurrence even between strangers who have just met, and it can be seen as a breach of etiquette to not do it when necessary. Ochimiai are also very open in terms of their emotions, as opposed to the strict façade of the imperial culture, and laughing, crying and even expressing one’s desires in public is a common occurrence, something fairly alien to the typical imperial citizen. Poetry is almost unheard of in the archipelago, but storytelling is quite popular amongst all the classes of society, most stories being told and retold around fires, keeping it an almost strictly oral tradition. Some imperial researchers did start compiling such stories, especially those relating to demons and evil spirits, in hope that it would assist with the task of defeating those beasts. Dancing is also awfully popular, including wild chanting, smacking various body parts and following the rhythm. Tattooing, mainly of linear patterns and geometrical shapes, is also a tradition amongst the Ochimiai, especially for the warriors, which puts them at odd with the typical imperial view on tattooing. While many of those cultural trademarks are viewed as barbaric at best by the imperial traders, the fact the Ochimiai are officially recognized as a nation by the bureaucracy does lend legitimacy to their action. Category:Imperial Province Category:Long Wave Archipelago Category:Foreign nationà